Across India eBook

The island of Elephanta was about five miles distant,
and in half an hour the party landed. Upon it
were a couple of hills, and it was entirely covered
with woods. One of the first things to attract
the attention was a singular tree, which seemed to
be a family of a hundred of them; for the branches
reached down to the ground, and took root there, though
the lower ends were spread out in numerous fibres,
leaving most of the roots above the soil.

“This is a banyan-tree,” said Sir Modava.
“It is a sort of fig-tree, and you see that
the leaves are shaped like a heart. It bears a
fruit of a rich scarlet color, which grows in couples
from the stems of the leaves. They are really
figs, and they are an important article of food.
In time the trunk of the tree decays and disappears,
and temples are made of the thick branches. Some
of these trees have three thousand stems rooted in
the ground, many of them as big as oaks: and
these make a complete forest of themselves. One
of them is said to have sheltered seven thousand people;
but I never saw one as big as that.”

The party proceeded towards the caves, but had not
gone far before they were arrested by the screams
of some of the ladies, who were wandering in search
of flowers. Louis Belgrave was with his mother
and Miss Blanche. Sir Modava, who was telling
the rest of the company something more about the banyan-tree,
rushed to the spot from which the alarm came.
There he found Louis with his revolver in readiness
to fire.

“Snakes!” screamed Mrs. Belgrave.

In front of them, asleep on a rock, were two large
snakes. The Hindu gentleman halted at the side
of the lady, and burst out into a loud laugh.

“The snakes of India seem to be determined that
you shall see them,” said he. “But
you need not fire, Mr. Belgrave; for those snakes are
as harmless as barnyard fowls, and they don’t
know enough to bite.”

“I see that they are not cobras,” added
Louis, as he returned the revolver to his pocket.
“But what are they?”

“Those are rock snakes.”

“But I don’t like the looks of them,”
said Mrs. Belgrave, as she continued her retreat towards
the path.

“I think they are horrid,” added Miss
Blanche.

“But they do no harm, and very likely they do
some good in the world,” said Sir Modava; “but
there are snakes enough that ought to be killed without
meddling with them.”

“You see that rock,” said the viscount;
“and it is a very large one. Can you make
anything of its shape? I suppose not; nobody can.
But that rock gave a name to this island, applied
by the Portuguese two or three hundred years ago.
It is said to have been in the form of an elephant.
If it ever had that shape it has lost it.”

[Illustration: “‘Snakes!’ screamed
Mrs. Belgrave.”—­Page 184.]

After penetrating a dense thicket, the tourists discovered
a comely flight of stairs, cut out of the solid rock
of which the hill is composed, extending to a considerable
distance, and finally leading into the great pillared
chamber forming a Hindu temple, though a level space
planted with trees must first be crossed.